Atlanta Hawks Kevin Huerter: Despite Low Usage, Red Pepper is Killing It

A detailed examination of the first quarter of Kevin Huerter’s career as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

For two years in a row, the Atlanta Hawks have been deft in their selections in the NBA Draft at the #19 overall spot. In fact, it seems to be a sweet spot for them.

First, the team nabs promising big man John Collins out of Wake Forest, who promptly roasted the competition in college and rode that momentum to a stunning rookie season, which should’ve seen him rewarded with a First Team All-Rookie berth.

This offseason, while the Atlanta Hawks’ machinations in the Top 5 of the draft nabbed almost all of the headlines – trading Luka Doncic down to the Mavericks for Trae Young – the team also nabbed a potential steal of the draft at 19th overall: One Kevin Huerter out of Maryland.

Though Ice Trae gets all of the headlines and much of the attention nationally (and locally), Huerter has slowly carved out a role for himself on the Hawks ever since being elevated to the starting lineup – an inspired move from Coach Lloyd Pierce.

Huerter has brought a lot to the table, and his interesting and multifaceted skill should be important to the Atlanta Hawks for the foreseeable.

Though his impact going forward will be of the utmost importance, let’s explore exactly what it is that Huerter (heretofore referred to as Red Pepper) provides to the Atlanta Hawks.